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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22797265">Time Trials</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Auggusst/pseuds/Auggusst'>Auggusst</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Soldier And The Scientist [41]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Avengers Endgame, Comfort, Endgame, Fluff, M/M, Post Civil War, Rebuilding Relationship, Science, Shy, Time Travel, Tony's lab, Working Hard, inventing time travel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 18:28:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,505</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22797265</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Auggusst/pseuds/Auggusst</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After a lot of hard work, Tony invents time travel. He shares this historic moment with Steve, and both consider the monumental task ahead of them.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Steve Rogers/Tony Stark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Soldier And The Scientist [41]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/468745</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>84</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Time Trials</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I don't have many fics centered around Endgame, because it really, REALLY, pisses me off, but I figured it's time to expand upon my canon a little more. Like I've mentioned before, the timeline is significantly shortened, because the 5 year time gap drives me nuts logistically. I will probably provide more details in other fics. Maybe this will help me finally get over my extreme resentment of Endgame.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I can’t do it, Steve.”</p><p>“You can.”</p><p>“No. I really fucking <em>can’t</em>.”</p><p>Steve sighed, brushed a hand through his hair. He tried to stay calm. “You can, Tony, and you will.”</p><p>The brunet glared at him. “Are you insane? Don’t answer that. I already know. You’re <em>all</em> insane,” Tony growled, resting his elbows on his desk and his head on his hands. He clenched his teeth, feeling overwhelmed.</p><p>“Maybe. But we’re also right. You can do this.”</p><p>“Can I?!” Tony asked. “It’s insane! This shit is all theory! How am I supposed to act on it?”</p><p>Steve sighed, sat down across from Tony in the lab. “Look, Scott said—“</p><p>Tony smacked a hand against his work surface. “I know what Scott said! I know. And I know that <em>I</em> said this is a bad idea, and that we should think of something else!”</p><p>Steve straightened in his seat, flexed his jaw to remind himself not to yell. He really didn’t want to get into a deep argument. They had just started reconnecting. He was grateful they were together, and wanted to hold on to that feeling. It would ruin everything if they fell right back into the tension that they left off with. Two weeks was pretty good of a run, he thought. He’d be damned if it ended now. Steve sighed a little, did his best to stay positive.</p><p>“Well, if we have to we will think of something else. Nothing’s set in stone yet. This is only a first step,” he assured Tony.</p><p>“An <em>impossible</em> first step.”</p><p>“Nothing’s impossible. You of all people should know that,” Steve replied.</p><p>Tony frowned. It was hard to argue with that. He’d seen and experienced at least a dozen things over the years that he considered to be impossible. He was just so <em>frustrated</em>. Everyone was counting on him. He still felt like shit too; his limbs ached and there was a never-ending fatigue that clung to him like a parasite. It’d been a little over two weeks since he got home, but things weren’t that much better. The team had too many debates to count over the last few days, and it was only when Scott Lang appeared at their doorstep that any headway was made. Well, if it could really be called headway.</p><p>He’d been in the lab for a day and a half now, trying, and failing, to crack the code on Time Travel. He would’ve never come up with a plan this crazy, but, truth be told, their options were limited. Half of the universe was gone, and Thanos, that unbelievable bastard, had gone ahead and destroyed the Infinity Stones. The only way to move forward was to move backwards. <em>If </em>they could.</p><p>Bruce tried to help where he could, but this type of stuff wasn’t exactly up his alley. Their visitors from out of space, Rocket and Nebula, weren’t much help either. Rocket said his specialty was weapons, and Nebula wasn’t much of a scientist. Sometimes it was hard being a genius. Tony had never felt the pressure of using his intelligence like he was feeling now. Even the whole mess in Sokovia didn’t stress him out like this. He always felt comfortable solving a problem, even if it frustrated him. This time around it just scared him. The entire universe was depending on this, on him, and he wasn’t sure he could deliver.</p><p>Steve had been here for half an hour now, trying to offer his support. Really Tony just thought he didn’t want to be alone, or apart from Tony, and he was fine with that, or would be under different circumstances. He couldn’t relax, couldn’t settle and take this all rationally. The possibility of an explosive argument just shortened his fuse more.</p><p>It was hard, dancing around each other. Most of the time, thankfully, they didn’t have to, but right now they certainly were. The stakes were too high, and the pressure was on from all sides. The media was starting to lose confidence in the Avengers. They wanted to know someone had a plan, that there was some way to fix everything. There was a lot of blame floating around, and no way to relieve it. The team didn’t have any answers.</p><p>Tony’s AI had been running calculations and test models for hours now. Each time, the program sounded off with a little buzz, to indicate a failure in the model. It was driving Tony to insanity. Each buzz felt like a punch to the chest, another insult. He was sure he was going to crack under the pressure.</p><p>“This is killing me, Steve,” he admitted. He took a shaky breath. “I just—I just don’t know. I don’t know if it’s possible. I don’t know what to do.”</p><p>Steve stood from his seat. He hesitated a moment, then walked around the table and gently brushed a hand through Tony’s hair. It was disheveled from him gripping it and messing with it over the last few hours. Tony tensed for a split second under his touch, but relaxed into it.</p><p>“Just take a break,” the blond said. “You’ve been at it for a long time. I’m sure you’re tired. Your body still isn’t 100% either. I know that if you take a step back, you’ll find something you’re missing.”</p><p>“I don’t know,” Tony sighed. “This is different than anything I’ve ever done. It just… it feels like I’m running in circles. Back and forth, back and forth. I’m just getting all twisted like—“</p><p>Twisted. <em>Twisted</em>. That was it, wasn’t it? Could it be? Was that the ticket?</p><p>He paused, so long that Steve had to break the silence. The blond raised a brow, squinted down at him. “Uh… You were saying?”</p><p>“Shh,” Tony replied. He held up an index finger so fast that Steve shrunk back a little. The scientist straightened in his seat, his brows knitting. “I…F.R.I.D.A.Y, new idea. Möbious Strip, inverted. Run a projection.”</p><p><em>You got it, boss,</em> the AI replied.</p><p>Steve and Tony stared at the holographic diagram with bated breath as it loaded up the new test model. It only took a few seconds to build, but to Tony, it felt like a lifetime. The idea had struck him like lightning, and he wasn’t sure what he would do if it failed.</p><p>On the other hand, what would he do if it <em>worked</em>? Could they really risk everything, trying to navigate time? Was it possible? Could they really fix everything, and more importantly, do it without losing anyone? Suddenly Tony was filled with an incredible amount of fear. It made his mouth run dry.</p><p>Steve was feeling similarly. There was something different about it all this time. His heart told him that they wouldn’t get a buzz, that this time, it wouldn’t be a failure. They were standing on the edge now, and there was no turning back. It was terrifying.</p><p>He set a hand on Tony’s shoulder, squeezed a little to keep himself grounded. Tony seemed frozen, his eyes fixed on the projection and resolve in his bones. He was made of iron right now, and while Steve saw it as strength, Tony considered it defense. He was terrified of what would happen next, but knew he had to face it anyway.</p><p>To his horror, and relief, there was no buzz. There was, finally, a <em>ding.</em></p><p>
  <em>Trial a success. Congratulations, boss. You just invented time travel.</em>
</p><p>Tony felt like the wind got knocked out of him. He exhaled sharply, slumped back in his chair. He couldn’t believe what he had heard, but the evidence was right there in front of him. The words flashed green on his hologram, instead of the bright red he’d seen for hours. He’d done it. On his 832<sup>nd</sup> trial, he had unlocked the secret of time travel.</p><p>“Shit,” was all he could say.</p><p>Steve let out a hesitant breath of laughter. “Shit is right,” he agreed. “You did it. You really did it,” he said. He was filled with a sense of elation for a moment, an overwhelming feeling of uplift that took over his every sense. He pulled Tony’s chair back, spun him around and pulled him into a hug. “You fucking did it! I knew you would.”</p><p>Tony was dazed as he was swept into Steve’s arms. He still couldn’t believe it. This changed everything. <em>Everything</em>.</p><p>“What the fuck have I <em>done</em>?” Tony muttered against the blond’s shoulder. Sure, he was happy, but that happiness was fleeting. The reality of all of this, and the potential consequences, was setting in.</p><p>His hands started to shake.</p><p>“Steve,” he began.</p><p>The blond was too busy placing a grateful kiss to his hair to answer.</p><p>“Steve, I’m—I’m gonna be sick.”</p><p>That got a response. “Woah, hey, you’re okay,” the soldier replied, pulling back. He put his hands on Tony’s waist to steady him. The scientist’s face was a little pale, and his eyes were wide. It made Steve feel scared too. “Hey, it’s fine,” he said. “We’re gonna be fine.”</p><p>“Are we?” Tony asked. He wasn’t so sure. “I mean—this—this discovery could, I mean, it’s so dangerous, and we don’t even know if it’s safe, or if we’ll just make things worse, and if someone got a hold of this? This is <em>so fucking dangerous</em> and I can’t believe I just—“</p><p>Steve cut him off with a kiss. He wasn’t sure he should’ve; they’d sort of been asking before doing anything like that lately, but he knew Tony wouldn’t be able to stop worrying now without a system shock. Steve’s kiss was soft but firm, a reassurance. His heart beat erratically, but it was nothing compared to Tony’s.</p><p>The brunet exhaled through his nose, unwilling to break the kiss, but still overwhelmed. It took a second, but he relaxed a little, and wrapped his arms around Steve’s neck. It felt good, he could admit. God it felt good to be like this, to be together, after so long.</p><p>But this wasn’t the time, really. Any hint of desire came and left quickly. Tony’s mind was still preoccupied by what he had done, and where it would take them next. He pulled back, tried to control his breathing. Steve’s eyes were warm, sort of hesitant as he regarded Tony. There was a new type of tension there, maybe a hint of nostalgia. He was reminded of their first date, about a week after they had lain together. It was funny, how shy they felt then, when there was nothing to be shy about. This wasn’t the same exact feeling, but it was similar, and Steve flexed his fingers against Tony’s waist.</p><p>“Uh…” Tony tried, licking his lips. “I just…”</p><p>“Are you okay now?” Steve asked. He just wanted to lay it all out.</p><p>“I don’t remember the last time I was okay, but yeah. I think…I think I can process all of this.”</p><p>That settled Steve. His shoulders dropped a little, and a smile spread on his lips. “Good. I feel the same.”</p><p>Tony looked at him, and shook his head. He sighed. His headache was truly rough now, increased by the realization of the situation. “What the hell are we getting ourselves into?”</p><p>“I don’t know,” Steve admitted. He really didn’t. He could understand the apprehension. They’d never been in this territory before. <em>No one</em> had ever been in this territory before. It was new, and scary, but it was their job to push forward. They owed it to everyone. He owed it to Bucky, and Sam and Wanda, and everyone else who was gone. He owed it to Peter Parker, the kid who Tony spent hours crying over four nights ago.</p><p>For a moment, he wished it <em>was</em> impossible though. Maybe there was a better way they weren’t seeing. Maybe this was all a mistake. He was concerned about where this all would lead. What were the risks? How could one navigate time? Could they fix everything, get everyone back safely? He couldn’t imagine getting to the end of the race just to lose again, especially if losing Tony was one of the consequences.</p><p>“I don’t know,” Steve repeated. He swallowed hard, brushed his fingers against Tony’s hands, silently asking for permission to hold them.</p><p>Tony obliged, squeezed his fingers around Steve’s. He didn’t know what to say.</p><p>Luckily, Steve found the right words. “I don’t know what’s going to happen now, but we’ll get through it. We’ll do it,” he said. “We’ll get it right. We will.”</p><p>The scientist hesitated. “How can you be sure?” he asked quietly.</p><p>“Because we’re together this time,” the soldier replied. “I’ve got your back, and you’ve got mine. The way it’s supposed to be.”</p><p>Despite himself, Tony smiled a little. It was just a hint, but it made Steve feel better. The brunet glanced over at the hologram again. It still seemed like a terrifying beast, but maybe it was one he could manage.</p><p>“I guess it’s time to break out the news,” he said. “We share the model, start gathering raw materials, and get to work.”</p><p>“Right,” Steve replied. His eyes settled on the projection as well. There was a pause, and he had a thought. “Well, it’s kind of late right now,” he said. “Maybe…maybe we can just keep this between us, at least for tonight.”</p><p>“You wanna wait?” Tony asked, raising a brow. Steve was one of the major advocates of this whole thing. He was a little surprised to hear the blond wanting to postpone progress.</p><p>Steve nodded. “I do.” He knew that things were about to change drastically. He wanted to live in the moment just a little longer before facing the unknown once more. What he wanted right now was a good night’s sleep with Tony at his side. It was almost three in the morning, and he could feel it. He was sure Tony was tired too.</p><p>Tony didn’t argue. He nodded. “Okay,” he said. “Okay.”</p><p>He squeezed Steve’s hand before moving away to save the trial file. He password encrypted it, and shut everything down. It was safe to say he was a little paranoid about it. Part of him wanted to keep working though, to double and triple check that this would actually work, and to get started on everything, but he really did need rest. Now that some of the pressure was relieved, but ultimately replaced with new pressure, exhaustion weighed heavily on his limbs, and Steve’s offer of waiting seemed enticing.</p><p>Steve waited for him by the door with an outstretched hand. There was no one around right now, so he felt a little more confident reaching out. Tony felt more confident too, and was glad for it. Even if things were changing, maybe they could ground each other, like they had done so many times in the past.</p><p>Tony took the blond’s hand, and they left the lab behind, leaving their biggest challenge yet for another day. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading! Please share your thoughts!!!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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